In most meat packing operations, not only are the primal cuts of slaughter animals of commercial value, but substantially all animal tissue has some commercial value. For example, the brain tissue and glands in hog heads are of importance as a source of hormones and other pharmaceutical compounds. The skull or head must be split in order to provide access to this important tissue. Although certain equipment is used in meat packing plants to split hog heads and the like, such equipment is not capable of accurate high production performance.